Monday, May 14, 2007

Younger-Ross calls for BBC withdrawal from Eurovision

Hard on the heels of the Norfolk Blogger, Richard Younger-Ross has tabled an EDM calling on the BBC to insist on changes to the Eurovision voting system or to withdraw from the contest.

Tonight's Radio Four PM featured news of anacademic study on Eurovision voting patterns by Derek Gatherer. He has identified at least three distinct voting blocs - the Balkans, the former Eastern European USSR states and the Scandanavian countries. I will put aside an hour or so to study his thesis! It is called a "Comparison of Eurovision Song Contest Simulation with Actual Results reveals shifting patterns of Collusive Voting Alliances".

Peter, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which produces the Eurovision Song Contest, has an anuual turnover (2006) of 364 million Euros which is £249 million. The BBC is one of the four largest contributors to the EBU. And, of course, the BBC is funded by UK licence-payers. So there is a legitimate public interest issue here.

I tend to agree with your gutfeel Peter, especially as when you think about it we have little to complain about. We have actually done very well in Eurovision over the years and the recent slump to the bottom of the poll (as Paul Gambacinni has pointed out) has had little to do with the voting process or the Balkan states but much to do with our invasion of Iraq, which has made us a pariah of Europe. Given that most songs are in English and we naturally (hopefully) have a command of that language in song, we have pulled off a pretty difficult feat - being bottom of a poll where we have every natural advantange (language, normal disporportionate domination of the European pop music charts, monetary input into the EBU) to win due, it could be argued, to our invasion with the US of Iraq.

Of course the BBC should withdraw funding from the Eurovision Song Contest. In fact we should withdraw completely – it's become a stitch up between the the old members of the Soviet Union to massage their nationalism. Let them have their Eastern Eurovision and pay for it themselves, we can go back to a proper contest with proper European countries.

I love the voting patterns on Eurovision night! It's pure unwitting farce after the theatre of pain for your eardrums!

It all amounts to an insufferable but mildly compelling cheesefest to accompany the beeffests of sporting excellence to come later this summer.

Cultural and sporting diplomacy for the lowest common denominator - you can't beat it!

Now, if only we could get Burma and Cuba to play cricket, or have Pan-African and Pan-American song contests we could export these cringe-worthy celebrations of common purpose and unity to the most insular and redneck corners of the world.

For the political psephologists among us, I think Eurovision is the most accurate and fascinating precursor to any real measure of a sense of pan-european integration - yes, there's both geographical and cultural bias and prejudice, but the mixture of perversity and predictability in the votes give us all something tangible to disentangle.

Lets see, we sent an X-Factor runner up who was previously a dustbin man. Russia sent their equivalent of Robbie Williams (at his height) who is already well known in eastern Europe and has performed on stage with the likes of Shakira, Black Eyed Peas and TATU...

When we take Eurovision seriously again, rather than treating it as a chance to poke fun at 'johnny foreigner', we will win again.